CR commuters have to wait and watch!

Although a system -- informing commuters the expected arrival time of the train at the platform -- was inaugurated eight months ago, the authorities haven't yet implemented it

Although a system -- informing commuters the expected arrival time of the train at the platform -- was inaugurated eight months ago, the authorities haven't yet implemented it

The wait seems to be getting boundless for the 37-lakh people on the Central line that use local trains for their daily commute. The Central Railway (CR) authorities haven't implemented the Train Management System (TMS), which they had inaugurated several months ago. About eight months ago, the then Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai inaugurated the system at Kurla. Since then, the CR had set several deadlines to implement the system but have failed on all occasions.

Arriving soon: Central Railway General Manager Subodh Jain has promised that the system will be implemented in the next three months. FILE PIC

However, sources in the CR say that the project is in the implementation stage and that they are carrying out some tests on the high-end indicators and announcement systems. "We are checking the system at Masjid Bunder and Sandhurst Road railway stations. Soon, the system will be operational on the Central line," a CR official said.

The authorities at the Kurla TMS monitoring room can observe movement of trains right up to Kalyan. Now, they are testing the same on the Kurla-Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) route. Subodh Jain, the general manager of CR, had recently held a meeting with officials concerned to get an insight on the development and has promised that the system will be implemented in the next three months.

Meanwhile, the CR have put up an advanced train schedule at CST station wherein Central and Harbour line commuters can see the next five trains that would be arriving on the platforms.

What is TMS?It is a system that informs commuters the expected arrival time of the train at the platform. It also has automatic multi-lingual announcements and display boards at the entrance of railway stations, which will inform commuters about the next two incoming trains at each platform.

The project will cost CR around Rs 30 crore and will allow the control room to track real time movement of trains. Moreover, if a train comes to a halt, the officials will know the exact place where the problem had occurred.